J. D. Russell

Career

During college, Russell entered law enforcement, serving first as a police officer in Maryland, and then as a federal Marine, Fish and Wildlife law enforcement game warden responsible for resource protection patrols. Leaving police work, he moved into property services entrepreneurship. By 2015, he founded Harford Property Services in Maryland and Delaware doing business as HPS Management, and in 2018 founded InfoHOA, a software-centered homeowners'-association management firm.

Blue Origin announced on November 15, 2024 that Russell would join five crewmates on mission NS-28 aboard the RSS First Steps for the 8th human flight of the New Shepard Program. The flight also included Emily Dawn Calandrelli. The vehicle lifted off from West Texas at Launch Site One, also known as Corn Ranch, on November 22, 2024 and crossed the Kármán line (about 100 km). The flight made Russell the 670th person to enter space on the List of Space Travelers by First Flight.

On August 3, 2025 Russell completed a second New Shepard mission with Blue Origin on NS-34 aboard the RSS First Steps for the 14th human flight of the New Shepard Program. The crew included crypto pioneer and TRON founder Justin Sun. The mission was named 'OneEarth' and included an internationally diverse crew with members from Hong Kong, India, Puerto Rico, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Russell from the United States. Drawing on his space flight profile, Russell launched Alpha Funds in June 2025.

The venture capital vehicle has announced a flagship project, Alpha Aerospace, aimed at early-stage propulsion and advanced manufacturing startups. Russell regularly speaks at various space related events including the Silicon Valley Space Week, MilSat Symposium, and the Latin American Business Council.

Did You Know?

• Russell was born at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona.
• As a teenager, he joined the Civil Air Patrol and earned the General Billy Mitchell Award.
• His second spaceflight, NS-34, was named 'OneEarth' and included crew from six different countries or territories.
• Russell founded the Victoria Russell Foundation, named for his late daughter, to promote children's literacy and support families of first responders.